The resignation of Roger Ailes, the powerful CEO of Fox News Channel, two weeks after a former Fox & Friends host sued him for sexual harassment could encourage other victims in a wide range of industries to come forward, women's advocates say.

“We see spikes in reporting when there is a really large national conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace,’’ says National Organization for Women President Terry O'Neill.

Ailes, 76, was sued by Gretchen Carlson, a onetime co-host of the network's morning talk show Fox & Friends, who said her career suffered after she rejected his advances. Ailes has denied the charges. Yet, New York magazine has reported that an internal inquiry by Fox News parent 21st Century Fox discovered several more women also claimed to have been harassed by Ailes, including Fox star Megyn Kelly.

On Thursday, Ailes resigned, effective immediately.

“Some victims of sexual harassment might be encouraged to come forward after seeing that Ailes resigned,’’ especially if they see his departure as a "form of accountability," says Maya Raghu, director of workplace equality for the National Women’s Law Center.

Sexual harassment is a frequent reality in the workplace. An oft-cited 2011 ABC News/Washington Post poll found that one in four women said they had experienced it on the job.

Workplace harassment is often not reported, says the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "Employees who experience harassment fail to report the harassing behavior or to file a complaint because they fear disbelief of their claim, inaction on their claim, blame, or social or professional retaliation," it said in a June 2016 executive summary of a task force report on the topic.

The day that Ailes stepped down, Carlson tweeted a statement from her lawyer that read in part: “We hope that all businesses now understand that women will no longer tolerate sexual harassment and reputable companies will no longer shield those who abuse women.’’

Rupert Murdoch, chairman of 21st Century Fox, did not mention the sexual harassment allegations in a statement out Thursday. He praised Ailes, the man he tasked two decades ago with creating a new cable network.

“Roger Ailes has made a remarkable contribution to our company and our country," said Murdoch, who will step into the roles of chairman and acting CEO of Fox News and Fox Business Network in the wake of Ailes’ departure. "Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years."

NOW's O''Neill said it was troubling that Murdoch did not refer to Carlson's charges. “As the new CEO, Rupert Murdoch needs to reassure the viewing public that Fox News understands and will comply with the law,’’ she says. “His silence does just the opposite."

However, Murdoch’s sons, Lachlan Murdoch, co-executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, and James Murdoch, the company's CEO, said in a separate statement that they maintain their "commitment to maintaining a work environment based on trust and respect."

And O’Neill says she is heartened by how quickly Fox responded after Carlson filed her legal complaint. It represents "extraordinary progress'' she says, when an allegation is made, top executives take it seriously, and "there is swift action.''

“If that doesn’t happen, then quite frankly, harassers are able to move forward with their careers, are able to move up, and their victims get sidelined, or go elsewhere,’’ she said.

Sexual harassment helps to fortify the so-called “glass ceiling’’ that blocks women from advancing in some organizations, O’Neill says. Dealing with such abuse “takes an enormous amount of mental and emotional energy and that pulls you off your game, so then you’re not performing at the top of your ability.’’

And many sexual harassers "are serial offenders,’’ she says.

“They have a strategy. They know what works," she says. "They utilize a number of tactics so that they can continue with their behavior and not face consequences.’’

Workplace policies on reporting and disputing harassment issues can vary. Carlson did not sue Fox News, or 21st Century Fox, when she filed her complaint earlier this month in the Superior Court of New Jersey. Fox News has said that when Carlson signed her contract, she agreed to an arbitration clause that mandated “any employment dispute regarding her tenure at Fox News must be done via confidential arbitration.''

“It remains to be seen if Fox News is dedicated to eliminating sexual harassment throughout the organization," O’Neil says. Those at the top of the organization "really needs to understand how corrosive sexual harassment is and need to be committed to fighting it.''